Accessory holder for use on article of clothing

ABSTRACT

An accessory holder, for use on an article of clothing such as ski jacket or the like .Iadd.or other article.Iaddend., comprising a flap having one end fixed to one attachment point .[.adjacent the junction of the arm and shoulder.]. of the article .[.of clothing.]. and adapted to fit around the accessory to be held, such as a foldable hat. The other end of the flap is detachably attached to another point .[.of attachment.]. on the .[.shoulder of the.]. article .].of clothing.]. to hold the accessory, with an intermediate piece provided on the underside of the flap adapted to hold the accessory and also to be attached to said other point of attachment.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my prior copendingapplication Ser. No. .Badd.690,262, filed on May 26, 1976.Iadd., nowU.S. Pat. No. 4,051,554, granted Oct. 4, 1977. .Iaddend.

Many situations exist where a person engaged in a sports activity, forexample, skiing, motorcycling or scuba diving, in which is desired tocarry certain accessories, for example, a pair of ski goggles, a pair ofgloves, mask, etc., while leaving the hands free. For example, in thecase of ski goggles, when the skier is not using the goggles, hesuspends them from around his neck by a strap. The same is true with themask of a scuba diver. While the accessory can be carried this way whennot in use, it is inconvenient and uncomfortable. Further, the accessorycan be in the way of the user and also possibly be damaged.

The present invention relates to a novel arrangement for holding andcarrying accessories of the foregoing type in a convenient way whileleaving the hands of the user completely free. In the preferredembodiment of the invention, the accessory holding arrangement comprisesa flap having one end fixed to one point on an article of clothing, forexample, a ski jacket, wet suit, etc. The other end of the flap hasfastening means which is adapted to be fastened between two alternativepoints on the clothing article. One of these points is an out-of-useposition for the flap where it is stored and the second is a point offixed, or semi-fixed, attachment such that the accessory to be held canbe placed under the flap and the second end of the flap fastened to thesecond attachment point. In this position of the flap the accessory issecurely held.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the fixed point ofattachment for the first end of the flap is accomplished by sewing thisend to the article of clothing. The two alternative points of attachmentare provided by having one part of a piece of a fabric type fastener(e.g. VELCRO), such as the hook piece, on the second end of the flap.Two further pieces of the fabric fastener, such as the loop pieces, arefastened to the article of clothing at spaced points. The first isfastened at a point where the flap can be stored and the second isfastened at a point wherein the tab flap is attached in a manner to holdthe accessory.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the fixed point ofattachment for the first end of the flap is adjacent the shoulder of thejacket and the two alternative points of attachment for the other end ofthe flap are on the neck and the arm.

In a further embodiment of the invention a flap arrangement is providedto securely hold a relatively soft article, such as a hat, gloves, etc.Here, the flap has one end fixedly connected adjacent the juncture ofthe shoulder and the arm of the jacket. A piece of fabric fastenermaterial provides the second point of attachment on the shoulder of thejacket adjacent to its collar. The underside of the flap has a piece offabric fastener material complementary to the piece on the shoulder partof the piece on the underside of the flap is securely fastened while afurther part extends free. The bit is placed between the underside ofthe flap and the extending free piece of fabric fastener material. Theflap is then attached to the first piece of fabric fastener material byfirst making the attachment with the free part and then the fixed partof the second piece of material.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an accessoryholder to be used on an article of clothing.

A further object is to provide a holder for accessory items which isfixed to an article of clothing so that the user can carry one or moreaccessories and still have his hands free.

An additional object is to provide a holder for accessories for use onan article of clothing in which the holder can be stored out of the waywhen not in use.

Yet another object is to provide an accessory holder for use on anarticle of clothing which comprises a flap having one end fixedlysecured to the article and a second end which can be fastened at one orthe other of two alternative points, the first point being one ofstorage for the flap and the second being one where the accessory isheld.

Still another object is to provide an accesory holder for a soft object,such as a hat or gloves.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become moreapparent upon reference to the following specification and annexeddrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view showing the accessory holder on an articleof clothing in a use position;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to the one in which the accessory holder is ina storage position;

FIG. 3 is side view of FIG. 1 taken partly in cross-section;

FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are respectively diagrammatic views showing a furtherembodiment of the invention in the storage position, an intermediateposition and the accessory holding position.

Referring to the drawings, the article of clothing on which theaccessory holder is to be used is shown generally as a jacket 10. Thiscan be, for example, a ski jacket, wet suit, sweater, windbreaker, jumpsuit, coverall, motorcycle jacket, etc.

The accessory holder includes a flap 12 of a suitable strong material,for example, fabric, plastic, or other similar material. It can be of aninelastic or of an elastic material. Preferably, flap 12 is of a colorwhich is coordinated, i.e., matching or contrasting, with the color ofthe clothing article 10. Flap 12 has one end 14 fixedly attached to thearticle of clothing. The fixed point of attachment is shownillustratively at the shoulder seams. The fixed point of attachment alsocan be at other places, for example, slightly below or above theshoulder seam. Of course, the point of attachment can be varied asdesired. That is, it also could be at a midpoint on the arm so that theflap would at all times be on the arm. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, theend of the flap is sewn at 15 to the arm of the clothing article. Theattachment of the flap end 14 to the sleeve 11 can be by any suitablemeans, for example, heat-sealing, adhesive, etc. The exact manner ofattachment depends upon the various materials used for the article ofclothing and the flap.

The second end 18 of flap 12 has a fastener 20 thereon which permits itto be alternately attached between two different locations on thearticle of clothing. As shown, the fastener 20 is a piece of one part ofa fabric-type fastener 20, for example, the hook part of a piece ofVELCRO material.

Two alternative fastening points are provided for the second end 18 oflap 12. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, these are alsofabric-type fasteners, here the loop parts of VELCRO material. As shownin the drawings, the first of the two alternative fastening points, is apiece of the fabric fastener material 22 located adjacent the neck ofthe clothing article 10. The second point is an elongated strip ofmaterial 24 which extends substantially vertically along a part of thelength of the arm 11 of the clothing article 10. Each of the pieces ofthe fabric fastener 20, 22 and 24 is attached by any suitable means, forexample, sewing, adhesive, heat sealing, etc.

The accessory holder is used in the following manner. As shown in FIGS.2 and 4, when the holder is not in use, the flap 12 has its second end18 fastened to the first point of attachment. That is, fastener 20 onthe second end of the flap is attached to the first point fastener 22 onthe shoulder. When in this position, flap 12 is totally out of the wayof the person wearing the clothing and it presents little or no windresistance.

When it is desired to hold an accessory, the fastener 20 on the secondend 18 of the flap is removed from the shoulder fastener 22. The flap isthen placed around the accessory to be held, here shown as a pair of skigoggles 30. The end 18 is then turned under so that the fastener 20 canbe attached to the fastener 24 on the sleeve. Since the fastener 24 iselongated, the effective length of flap 12 can be changed to hold theaccessory tightly and to accommodate different size articles. That is, apoint of attachment can be made for the second end of the flap anywherealong the length of the fastener 24.

Where the flap 12 is made of an elastic material, an additionaladvantage is obtained in that it can be stretched when in the differentpositions. Thus, as shown in FIG. 4, flap 12 can be stretched to lengthB so that it will not flutter and offer little or no wind resistance.Length A in the use position shown in FIG. 3, can be different fromlength A.

The width of flap 12 also can be selected or desired. In the case ofholding a pair of goggles, the flap bends around the nose bridge. Thisaids in more securely holding the goggles to the arm. Where the flap ismade of elastic, this further increases the holding power.

It should be understood, of course, that other types of accessories canbe held. For example, in the case of a scuba diver, mask, goggles,flippers, etc. In all cases, the accessory is securely held and thehands of the person are left free. Also, the accessory is stored out ofthe way.

Other types of fasteners also can be used in place of the fabric type.For example, snaps, buttons, hooks, etc. When these are used, the flapsalso can be either of inelastic or elastic material. To vary theeffective length of the flap in the use position, there can be a seriesof buttons or snaps on the arm.

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 show a further embodiment of the invention which isuseful in securing equipment, for example, a hat H to the jacket orother soft material which can be rolled up, such as at H'. In thesefigures, a first fabric-fastening member 30, which, for example, is anelongated strip of VELCRO loop material, is fastened to the top of theshoulder portion of the garment. A flap 32 is attached to the shoulderportion of the garment, such as by sewing, at point 34.

On the underside of the flap, a complementary piece of fabric fasteningmaterial 36 is provided. The piece of material 36, being, for example,of VELCRO hooks, has one part 36a which is fastened to the under surfaceof the flap 32 at 38 and a second part 36b which is loose from flap 32.It is preferred that the free part 36b be slightly less in length thanthe fixed part 36a.

In the flap storage position, as shown in FIG. 5, the flap 32 is foldedover so that the hook portions of 36a and 36b rest against the loopportion of the fabric fastening member 30 on the shoulder of thegarment. Both parts 36a and 36b can be laid flat to engage member 30.However, as shown, even if 36b is not flat and it is folded over so thatits hooks engage the hooks on the part 36a there will be some fasteningaction between the hooks and a fastening action when the flap 32a isfolded over onto the shoulder in the area 36c of part 36a which willfasten on to the loop member 30.

To store an article such as hat H, the flap 32 is removed from thestorage position on the shoulder shown in FIG. 5. For this purpose, theflap 32 has an end portion 32a which extends beyond the part 36a whichis used to separate hook portion 36c from its associated loop area. Thehat is then rolled into a generally cylindrical form and is placedbeneath the free piece 36b. The piece 36b is then curled over somewhataround the hat and the flap 32 is then moved back onto the shoulder. Asecure fastening occurs with the curled portion of piece 36b firstcoming into contact with fastening member 30. The entire flap is thenpulled tight onto the shoulder and a substantial portion of piece 36a isbrought into fastening contact with piece 30. In this manner, a tightfastening arrangement is provided.

What I claim is:
 1. An accessory holder for an article of clothingcomprising a flap member for covering a part of the clothing article,means for fixedly securing one end of said flap member at a first pointon said article, a first elongated piece of fabric fastening materialwith fastening means thereon secured to the clothing article in at leasta part of the area to be covered by the free part of the flap, a secondpiece of fabric fastening material with fastening means thereon on theunderside of the flap having a first part secured to the underside ofthe flap and a second part hanging free, fastening means of both partsof said second piece of fabric fastening material facing the clothingarticle and engaging the fastening means on the first piece of fabricfastening material when the flap is laid down on the clothing articlewith the accessory being held located between the underside of the flapand second part of the second piece of fabric fastening material.
 2. Anaccessory holder as in claim 1 wherein said article of clothing is forthe upper body portion and includes a shoulder and an arm portion and aneck, said first point of attachment of the flap located adjacent thejuncture of the shoulder and the arm of the clothing article and saidfirst piece of fabric fastening material located on the shoulderadjacent to the neck of the clothing article.
 3. An accessory holder asin claim 1 wherein said flap is of substantially inelastic material. 4.An accessory holder for an article comprising a first elongated piece offabric fastening material with fastening means thereon adapted to besecured to the article with the fastening means facing away from thearticle, a flap having one end adapted to be fixedly secured to saidarticle at a point adjacent a first end of said first elongated piece, asecond piece of fabric fastening material with fastening means thereonon the underside of the flap, said second piece having a first partsecured to the underside of the flap and a detached second part, thefastening means of both parts of said second piece of fabric fasteningmaterial facing the article and engaging the fastening means on thefirst piece of fabric fastening material when the flap is laid over saidfirst piece of fabric fastening material and fastened thereto with theaccessory being held between the underside of the flap and the detachedsecond part of the second piece of fabric fastening material. .Iadd. 5.An accessory holder for an article comprising a flap member for coveringa part of the article, one end of said flap member adapted to be fixedlysecured at a first point on said article, a free hanging piece attachedto one side of the flap member, a first elongated piece of fabricfastening material with fastening means thereon adapted to be secured tothe article in at least a part of the area to be covered by said flap, apiece of fabric fastening material with fastening means thereon on theunderside of the said flap member between the point of attachment ofsaid free hanging piece and the other end of said flap member and on aface of said free hanging piece, the fastening means of both pieces offabric fastening material on said flap member and said free hangingpiece facing and engaging the fastening means on the first piece offabric fastening material when said flap member is laid down on thearticle with the accessory being held located between the underside ofsaid flap member and said free hanging piece. .Iaddend..Iadd.
 6. Anaccessory holder as in claim 5 wherein the second named piece of fabricfastening material has a first part on the flap and a free hangingsecond part which forms said free hanging piece. .Iaddend..Iadd.
 7. Anaccessory holder as in claim 5 wherein the fastening means of the fabricfastening material of said second named piece of fabric fasteningmaterial is complementary to the fastening means of said first namedpiece of fabric fastening material. .Iaddend..Iadd.
 8. An accessoryholder for an article comprising a first elongated piece of fabricfastening material adapted to be secured to the article, a secondelongated piece having one end adapted to be fixedly secured withrespect to said article with the other end adapted to fold and unfoldtoward and away from a first end of said first elongated piece, one ofsaid first and second elongated pieces having a free hanging piece withone end secured to the elongated piece, said one elongated piece havinga first fabric fastening means thereon between the other end of said oneelongated piece and the point of securement of said free hanging pieceand on said free hanging piece, said other elongated piece having asecond fabric fastening means thereon, said first and second fasteningmeans facing each other and adapted to engage and hold when said firstand second elongated pieces are overlaid and fastened to each other withthe accessory being held at least in part between the underside of saidfree hanging piece and the part of said one elongated piece opposing theunderside of said free hanging piece. .Iaddend..Iadd.
 9. An accessoryholder as in claim 8 wherein the second fabric fastening means has afirst part on said first elongated piece and a free hanging second partwhich forms said free hanging piece. .Iaddend. .Iadd.
 10. An accessoryholder as in claim 8 wherein said first and second fabric fasteningmeans are complementary. .Iaddend..Iadd.
 11. An accessory holder for anarticle of clothing comprising a flap member for covering a part of theclothing article, means for fixedly securing one end of said flap memberat a first point on said article, a free hanging sub-flap attached tothe side of the flap member normally facing the clothing part at anintermediate point, a first elongated piece of fabric fastening materialwith fastening means thereon secured to the clothing article in at leasta part of the area to be covered by the flap, second and third pieces offabric fastening material with fastening means thereon respectivelysecured on the underside of the flap between the point of attachment ofthe sub-flap, the fastening means of both said second and third piecesof fabric fastening material facing the clothing article and engagingthe fastening means on the first piece of fabric fastening material whenthe flap is laid down on the clothing article with the accessory beingheld located between the underside of the flap and the sub-flap..Iaddend..Iadd.
 12. An accessory holder for an article comprising afirst elongated piece of fabric fastening material with fastening meansfacing away from the article, a flap having one end adapted to befixedly secured to said article with the other end adapted to fold andunfold toward and away for a first end of said first elongated piece, asub-flap having one end secured to the underside of the flap at anintermediate point thereof, a second piece of fabric fastening materialwith fastening means thereon secured to the underside of the flapbetween the other end of the flap and the point of securement of thesub-flap, a third piece of fabric fastening material with fasteningmeans thereon secured to the sub-flap, the fastening means of both saidsecond and third pieces of fabric fastening material facing the articleand adapted for engaging the fastening means on the first piece offabric fastening material when the flap is laid over said first piece offabric fastening material and fastened thereto with the accessory beingheld between the underside of the flap and the sub-flap. .Iaddend..Iadd.13. An accessory holder as in claim 11 wherein said third piece offabric fastening material forms said sub-flap. .Iaddend..Iadd.
 14. Anaccessory holder as in claim 11 wherein the fastening means of thefabric fastening material of said second and third pieces iscomplementary to the fastening means of said first piece of fabricfastening material. .Iaddend..Iadd.
 15. An accessory holder as in claim12 wherein said third piece of fabric fastening material forms saidsub-flap. .Iaddend..Iadd.
 16. An accessory holder as in claim 12 whereinthe fastening means of the fabric fastening material of said second andthird pieces is complementary to the fastening means of said first pieceof fabric fastening material. .Iaddend..Iadd.
 17. An accessory holderfor an article comprising a first piece of fabric fastening materialhaving at least one end adapted to be fixedly secured to the article, asecond elongated piece of fabric fastening material having one endadapted to be fixedly secured with respect to said article with theother end adapted to fold and unfold toward and away from said one endof said first piece, one of said first and second pieces having a freehanging piece secured thereto, a first fabric fastening means on saidone piece and on the free hanging piece secured thereto, said otherpiece having a second fabric fastening means thereon, said first andsecond fabric fastening means facing each other and adapted to engageand hold when said first and second pieces are overlaid with theaccessory being held at least in part by the underside of said freehanging piece. .Iaddend.